Welker, a first-year Bronco, was never voted a captain in New England, and was honored to learn of his teammates' vote.

“I think it’s one of the greatest honors you can have on a football team," he said. "I’m honored to have it and hopefully represent it well and just try to help lead these guys by example and go out there and play hard and help them win games.”

The fact that his teammates respected him enough already to give him that title stood out to Welker.

“It means a lot," he said. "Just coming in here, trying to work hard and set an example. Just do whatever I can to help the team win. It’s nice to see that the guys see that and it’s definitely a great honor."